Ghostwritten Article 1

The Atlas Stone & Me: The Cage 2017 in Three Days

Some of the best lifters in the world congregate every year in March to put on a show in The Cage in Columbus, Ohio. It is at the Arnold Fitness Expo, the largest health and fitness expo in the country, where we get to see strong men pushed to their limits.

My focus this year was to showcase an event that would show the fans how difficult it can be to press an Atlas Stone overhead for as many times possible. Have you ever tried to clean and press a round object like a Stone? It's not easy because it has no handles and it's difficult to hold on to as you're sweating.

But first, there were two days of exciting lifts to watch before my event on Sunday.

Day One: Friday Started Off with a Bang

The "Bench Your Body Weight" contest is always a hit with our fans. The first 20 people get to experience what it's like lifting in The Cage. Now while some excel while others can only crank out 2 or 3 reps, everyone feels special to be inside The Cage and lifting — even if only for a brief moment.

James Strickland walked into the Cage and was going to bench press over 600 lb. This was my first time meeting James and, man, that dude is strong as hell. He easily pressed 620 lb, but unfortunately missed 630 lb. Arnold Schwarzenegger visited The Cage, like he does every year, and I think that must have messed up his timing.

Phillip Brewer, a great guy who weighs only 160 lb, then proceeded to slaughter a 505 lb bench press. It blows my mind how much weight he presses. He even did a drop-set of 405 lb x 11 reps afterwards.

Rob Philippus is one of my favorite lifters and is also a great friend. "Quads like Rob" is one of the best squatters in the world in my opinion. Rob buried 900 lb x 2 reps in the squat. It was so cool to watch Dan "BOSS" Green wrap Rob's knees before this event. I really appreciate the simple moments like these, when lifters come together to help their friends succeed in their exhibition.

Rob "SAVAGE" Hall then totaled 2,005 lb in 35 seconds. He did a 750 squat, 530 bench, and a 750 lb deadlift, all in about half a second. This energetic, great kid has a bright future, for sure.

Day 2: Saturday Is Always a Huge Day

Saturday's lifts are historically STACKED every year. This year was no different when Richard “The Ant" Hawthorne, a mainstay in The Cage, deadlifted 600 lb x 5 reps. I got chills when I saw Richard on the platform with tears streaming down his cheeks before pulling those reps. His quiet approach to focusing on a big lift is very unique compared to the usual yelling, slapping, hyping, and smelling salts.

I was really pumped for the next event. Jay Nera and BOSS performed some heavy bench presses with their feet up and legs straight. Both lifters were coming off of some serious injuries (such as a torn quad tendon and torn labrum), but they still could press some monster weights. BOSS worked up to a 545 lb single… With no absolutely no leg drive. Jay also managed to get up to 495 lb with his feet up. Watching these two guys bench more weight than guys who have their feet down was unreal.

Flying into Ohio on a 25-hour flight from Australia was Rhyss “The Wolf” Keane. This dude obliterated 800 lb x 3 reps in the deadlift and almost got a 4th rep. I spoke to him briefly and he was fighting jet lag hard, but he just nailed it in The Cage. Can you imagine flying all that way then pulling that kind of weight for reps? Incredible.

Chris Duffin was next. This guy has a massive following. He walked into The Cage, barefoot as usual, and set up an amazing exhibition: 915 lb squat, 600 lb row, and 885 lb deadlift. I get heel spurs watching him lift barefoot. Man, just some crazy shit from Chris in The Cage.

KC Mitchell always inspires me. This man has been to hell and back and I was so happy for him that he got to deadlift in The Cage. That one-legged monster proves that we can get things done no matter what the circumstances.

My favorite event was seeing the great Mikhail “Misha” Koklyaev deadlift with Pete Rubish. Misha worked up to a 755 lb single and then turned the stage over to Rubish. Pete then pulled 735 lb for 7 reps… With NO BELT. Just amazing stuff coming from these two.

Day Three: Sunday Was My Day

A few weeks before the expo, I asked my friend Steve Slater to make me a stone. He is a local from Ohio who makes the famous "Slater Stones" that are used for the Arnold Pro Strongman contest. Steve made me a 170 lb stone and delivered it to The Cage.

I joked with Eric “naturalguy” Schwartz that we should call the day "Senior Sunday" because Beau Moore (51) and I (46) were lifting. Beau always brings the house down when he plays "Rock Me Like a Hurricane" set on repeat. Sure enough, while the music was jamming, he totaled 2000 lb in less than 30 minutes — yes, that included his warm-ups.

Brandon Franklin was a last minute addition to lift in the Cage, having asked naturalguy if he could squat because he needed to get in some training before Day 2 of the Arnold Expo. What's crazy is that Brandon cranked up 800 lb for 3 reps out of the Monolift even though he did this same weight in The Cage on Saturday morning. Unreal.

Finally, it was my turn to lift the Atlas Stone. I had gotten 12 reps in training, so my goal was to hit at least 15 reps in The Cage. I chalked my hands and forearms and stood over the stone. Many thoughts went through my head. I looked up at the Animal banners and asked myself, ”What limits are you going to push yourself to today?" There were bright lights, loud music, tons of fans standing around, and cameras rolling, but it all came down to me versus the Stone.

It may seem small, but the round, smooth stone is difficult to press overhead, especially when you have to clean it from the ground every time. The sweat off my face and head began to drip onto the surface of the stone. It was so slick that I even dropped it on one rep. But I still had to keep going. On the 10th rep, I could feel my quads start to fatigue a bit.

People don't realize how much of a load it is on your quads when you're pressing odd shapes. The weight is so far forward that it taxes your legs real quick. At about 12 reps in, I knew I had to push myself and dig deep. BOSS helped me out by finding a towel to wipe my face off a bit and I heard my friend from Hawaii cheering me on.

When I pressed the 17th rep, I knew that I could get to 20, so I yelled to the crowd "3 more." The end was near. After I locked out and held that 20th rep, I stormed up the dumbbell rack and rattled The Cage. At that moment I knew I had once again overcome a major obstacle in my life — being successful in my event Animal’s The Cage.

It was then Zack "Pitbull" Ruhl’s turn to do his lift. I had never met him before, but I was fully aware that he was in the building. This beast is truly an inspiration—he is amputated from the knees down. He hopped off his wheelchair and warmed up on the bench press in record setting time. Zack banged out a 455 lb bench so easily. This guy was benching more than me and I can use Leg Drive. Two minutes later, he asked for 500 lb on the bar. When he locked that bar out, everyone went NUTS.

Anthony Hobaica, representing the East Coast, closed out The Cage. I first met Anthony at the "Boss of Bosses" contest 2 years ago, and I was honored when he came up to me before his exhibition and said, “Higa, you’re a fucking legend in The Cage.” What do you say to that? I hugged him, shook his hand, and told him to bring the house down. Anthony warmed up with his friends and training crew from Hercules Gym in Syracuse, NY who were all monsters in their own right. Anthony killed it. Despite a bloody nose from doing his huge squat, Anthony made short work of his goal of totaling 10 times his body weight. What a way to close out The Cage.

I'd like to give a huge thank you to Animal for putting on the biggest and baddest lifting exhibition every year at the Arnold Expo. It is truly an honor for me to step into The Cage with these talented athletes and represent the best supplement… No, make that the best lifting and strength company in the world. I don't lift for the "likes" on social media. I don’t lift to gain more “followers.” I lift because I want to inspire others. I also lift because I fucking love it.